


Horrible Exorcists Rewatch: The Essays

by lady_peony



Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Essays, Exorcist Politics, Gen, Meta, Youkai, horrible exorcists
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-30
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-12-08 17:26:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 9,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11651283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lady_peony/pseuds/lady_peony
Summary: A set of essays with notes, meta, & miscellany on exorcist-centric episodes of Natsume Yuujinchou.





	1. S1EP9 Ayakashi Exorcism

**Author's Note:**

> \+ [original posts for these essays here](http://qserasera.tumblr.com/tagged/horrible-exorcists-rewatch)  
> \+ [what is the horrible exorcists rewatch?](http://qserasera.tumblr.com/post/157934952459/its-going-to-be-a-while-until-season-6-starts)  
> +warnings for vague manga spoilers & references here and there; though seeing how season six pretty much has caught up with a lot of the manga, there shouldn't be anything _too_ surprising i hope  
> 

**S1E9 Ayakashi Exorcism**

**The 1st Horrible Exorcists Rewatch Post**  
[What is the horrible exorcists rewatch?](http://qserasera.tumblr.com/post/157934952459/its-going-to-be-a-while-until-season-6-starts)

**Summary**  
Natsume meets Natori, an actor by day and exorcist by night.

**Canon Notes**  
+the episode corresponds to the manga  _volume 2 chapter 7_  
+natori wears…something that is called a hat, for the lack of a better term. good going with the bucket hat, natori, four for you natori  
+not everyone can see the lizard youkai on his body (even those with the sight might not necessarily see it), since natori makes a comment to natsume “ _you can see this too?”_ after he is already aware of natsume’s powers  
+natori speculates that the lizard youkai might “eat his lifespan…” or something  
+shiki can be made transportable by transforming into a version of a paper doll (the giant paper doll that initially chases natsume turns into sasago)– although it is not clear if only natori has this ability, or if this is something that other exorcists can also do  
+hiiragi recognizes that natsume has met natori, because she recognizes natori by scent   
+natori’s mother had passed when he was young. the rest of his family believes that he brings bad luck to them because of he has the sight  
+hiiragi becomes one of natori’s shiki

**Comments  
** Natori is, undeniably, a pretty big jerk in his first appearance, what with testing natsume’s power instead of asking him about it, following him around town when natsume is annoyed by it, and reacting only with mild amusement when urihime attacks natsume for insulting natori when they were both in a cafe.  He smiles and laughs often, even if it does come off as insincere.  His viewpoint on youkai is made clear as well:  _“They’re always irrational, and such an annoyance”_ and  _“Youkai hurt people,”_ he says, like those are the only things that youkai do.

Nyanko-sensei does not…seem to blame natori for this view and almost, just almost, sounds a little sympathetic for him: _“I could feel his hatred for youkai when he touched me. Despite what he says, he must’ve gone through a lot with them.”_

Natori, without hearing much about natsume’s life, also inevitably sees (or can infer) the parallels between them:  _“When I look at you, it reminds me of my old self.”_ Whether this comment is more about their powers or about the kindness ( _you’re just a nice kid_ ) that natori thinks of when he thinks of his old self is not spelled out. Likewise, the  _“these glasses are fake”_ comment also hints? teases? at certain layers in natori’s personality; the glasses are fake, but it helps him do his other job–his exorcist job–better. How much of natori’s current personality and mannerisms are due to his own internal emotions, and how much  of it is shaped by the demands of his jobs (a movie star is charming–so he gets used to smiling, can summon sparkles on command; an exorcist needs to act quickly against youkai that could possibly hurt humans, regardless of the youkai’s intention–so he strikes first, seals away any weaknesses in himself, any outward signs of kindness).

Natori’s past, even if it only shows up for less than 3 minutes of the episode, adds another painful note to his character: “ _The old man says I call forth bad luck because I can see weird things. But if so, someone should’ve just gotten rid of me before it happened.”_  The early death of his mother, his hatred of youkai tied to his own self-loathing and his family’s belief that shuuichi’s very existence hurts others…and still, he worries about hiiragi, a youkai he doesn’t know, because he sees that she is bleeding. We don’t get a whole picture of natori’s character yet, just from his first appearance, but we get enough pieces to wonder about; charm and cynicism and a buried core of compassion somewhere in between all those elements (a 50/50 chance he could free hiiragi, a 50/50 chance whether he would be natsume’s ally or antagonist).

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> + **why are you putting these essays here anyways?** there's a saying somewhere about eggs and baskets, and im hoping these would good potential references for anyone wanting to write things about these exorcists  
>  + **why are you referring to (Natori, Matoba) as horrible exorcists??** that's...a long story that [can be read here](http://qserasera.tumblr.com/post/103742171379/tangled-tangents-a-matoba-seijinatori-shuuichi)  
>  \+ **i think i want to read more meta about them...?** [yeah, no prob :)](http://qserasera.tumblr.com/post/103741880044/unwritten-letters-a-matoba-seijinatori-shuuichi)  
> 


	2. S1E13 Autumn Banquet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natori does his own thing, Hiiragi gets her own mini-adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> +minor references to the manga chapter "Undistorted World"

**S1E13 Autumn Banquet**  
  


**Summary**  
Everyone attends an autumn festival.

 **Canon Notes**  
+the second appearance of natori and hiiragi, anime-wise  
+hiiragi tells natsume “you’re too kind” when natsume says he doesn’t care if other people see him talking to her when it looks like he’s talking to empty air :'''))  _character development_  
+there is medicine that youkai can take that can make them visible to humans for a limited amount of time  
+the first time we see natori attend a meeting of exorcists (!!!!!)  
+nanase-san makes her first appearance as an unnamed character  
  


_exhibit a: hiiragi being helpful and stoically caring_

__

_exhibit b: exorcists. discussing exorcist things._

**Comments  
** I nearly spent twenty sentences going on and on on how Tanuma wins most of the awards for BEST BFF and the scene with him poking ponta with a stick was priceless.

Tanuma’s appearance aside, we learn a few more (unspoken) details about Natori from his cameo. He steps in to help the fox child, who was being bullied by an owner of a festival stall and two bigger youkai; in contrast to what he said previously about his dislike of youkai, neither is he the type to just stand by idly when one is in trouble in front of him.

He also commands Hiiragi to follow the fox child around at the festival, whether this is more for natsume’s sake or to watch out for the fox child is up to anyone’s guess. This would be the second time he has sent a shiki as a spy/scout; it would be a likely possibility that other exorcists also do the same with their own shiki.

This episode also contains the first appearance of something that looks like a meeting for exorcists; natori shows up with a smile and a “sorry, i’m late.” nanase-san appears to be heading the meeting, and other than natori, nearly everyone in the quick screenshot of the meeting seems to be wearing a mask. not suspicious at all. the first peek at exorcist worldbuilding adds an ominous note to an otherwise lighthearted episode.

It was a good idea to end the first season on this episode; it brings everyone who has shown up in an episode so far, while also giving natsume a chance to be a little more truthful with the people around him, or with tanuma at least. It would be fascinating to discuss the tanuma-natsume scene here with later ones of teenage matoba-natori; the invisible fish pond/red fish and the tree/red kimono scenes, and how tanuma-natsume’s interaction is the result of their friendship and a feeling of “we have a relationship of friendship, so i wanted to share this nice thing with you.” matoba-natori’s scene meanwhile, is more of “i want to see if you are worth cultivating a relationship with; let me test how strong you are.” there was one fic in my past memory which touches on these parallels between these pairs of characters.

At any rate, we know that there are further episodes with natori, hiiragi, and other exorcist-related worldbuilding to look forward to!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> +does anyone...know...how to embed emojis in html onto AO3 so it shows up on the page?? any tutorials would be helpful, thanks ORZ


	3. S2E3 Youkai Exorcism Among the Steaming Springs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Maybe there's delicious leeks hiding in that pot!_ and other serious topics.

**S2E3 Youkai Exorcism Among the Steaming Springs**

****

****Summary**  
** Natori and Natsume (and Nyanko-sensei) go to the hot springs. There is an exorcism of a youkai whose head used to be trapped in a pot. ****  
  
 **Canon Notes**  
+this episode corresponds to  _manga volume 4 ch 14_  
+the chain of paper dolls that natori sends to natsume have enough…supernatural intelligence to recognize a person by touch and also enough strength to drag them off to a predetermined location  
+about natori, natsume first says  _“to be honest, he kind of annoys me.”_  
+natori wears fragrances  
+natori’s dating life is apparently monitored by his acting agency   
+ _“don’t you have any guy friends?”_  natsume asks him.   
 _“no,”_ natori says, instantly.  ~~(special chapter 15:[mmMM WHATCHA SAYYYY](http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DUYIAfiVGluk&t=N2MxOGQ3ZWY5NDk0Mzg0ZTE2MDNlMTY3OGU0YzljNGYzMDc1YjNjNyw4MGVqQjJzZg%3D%3D&b=t%3AthZ9TRVEhduj4uksguO81Q&p=http%3A%2F%2Fqserasera.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F158502938099%2Frewatch-s2e3-youkai-exorcism-among-the-steaming&m=1)) ~~  
+natori does not own his own car; they ride buses and trains to the hot spring  
+natori doesn’t have a cell phone, at this point in time? he goes over to a bunch of green pay phones to call his manager  
+hiiragi shows up too and scares natsume hahaha  
+youkai can be trapped in pots with paper seals over them  
+hiiragi and nyanko-sensei are asked to leave the sealing room, or else they would be affected; sealing circles can’t distinguish between the individual youkai they intend to seal

_…can’t disagree with you there nyanko-sensei_

**Comments**  
From an approximately 25 minute episode, we get a glimpse at many, many more layers of natori’s characterization.  
  
there are additional snippets reminding us of natori’s actor background. he still has the ability to turn on sparkles and actor charisma at will (still laughing at that pose with the glasses,  _who taught you that??_ ), along with the reminders of his association with an acting agency and a manager that he needs to keep informed of on his whereabouts. just how much control does his acting agency have over his dating life? natori mentions that  _“his agency wouldn’t allow it”_  if he went on a trip with a girl; i am peripherally aware that girl idols/actresses in japan sometimes have restrictions/expectations against dating, but do the same restrictions apply for male actors? a second possibility is that natori made up the rule, so natsume would be more likely persuaded to go on the trip with him.   
  
this is also the first episode in which natori tells us that he doesn’t have any guy friends. as flippant as his statement is, it’s another reminder of loneliness for a character, in a manga that is all about friendship and making connections.  
  
as for his view on youkai, we are still reminded from natsume that “ _natori…probably hates them_.” when natsume also worries about hiiragi catching a cold, natori casually laughs it off ( _don’t worry. youkai don’t catch colds_ ), and frowns too, when natsume is happy about it. was natori worrying that natsume was being too naiive? that’s likely. or was he remembering when he was still young, like natsume, and still had enough kindness in his personality to care or worry about youkai and people? perhaps.   
  
this is also the first instance when natsume considers telling natori about the book of friends, though nyanko-sensei dissuades him. first with the reply,  _“don’t. he’ll take it.”_  whether natori really would take the book of friends from natsume, if he thought it would be better for natsume’s sake, is another issue that reemerges in later chapters. secondly, nyanko-sensei brings up the the issue of trust that natsume would have, even if he did tell the truth to natori,  _“even if he didn’t take it, you would wonder if he was just being nice to you because he wanted the book.”_    
  
for a show about loneliness and healing, as natsume gains stronger relationships, the issue of trust comes up more and more often. and with the initial parallels established between natori and natsume ( _you’re just a nice kid; you see the same scenery as me_ ), the unspoken parts of natori’s backstory can be guessed at from natsume’s own experience.   
  
can you trust what your eyes see? can you trust yourself? can you trust others with your words, your feelings? can you trust youkai? who can you tell the truth to? who should you lie to?  
  
there’s an especially emotionally-weighted interaction in this episode, when their parallels are brought up during the night while natori brings up natsume’s family. natori never looks at natsume during the scene, only showing the back of his head. what sort of expression did he have when they were talking? we can only guess.

_**natori** : are things going well with your current guardians?  
 **natsume** : yes, they’re very kind to me.  
 **natori** : if you ever get tired of lying, you can come to me.   
 **natsume** : (when i was a kid, everyone called me a liar)_  
  
as to why natori offers to let natsume stay with him; did he ever wish when he was younger that someone made that offer to him, to have a place where no one would call him ‘bad luck’ or a liar, and also had the ability to see the same hidden world he did?  
  
when natori apologizes to natsume, for taking him on a trip under false pretenses when the actual goal was to seal a youkai, natsume thinks, _the two of us have spent so much of our lives telling lies._

other than select exorcist colleagues ( ~~matoba lol~~ ) natori has just about no one he can speak freely with, which is a heavy burden on forming any kind of lasting relationships.  
  
hiiragi is more hopeful in the end about natori’s better nature, telling natsume roundaboutedly that natori did value their friendship ( _i’m sure he also wanted this opportunity to talk to you_ ). natsume, by this second season, is already kinder, getting more open to people and youkai’s emotions. whether natori, older and slightly more jaded, can do the same, is up in the air.


	4. S2E11 Assembly of Conjurers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exorcist intrigue, plots, and politics.

**S2E11 Assembly of Conjurers**

**Summary**  
Natsume encounters an injured crow youkai. Natori invites Natsume to a meeting of exorcists to chase after a youkai that looks like a flying head.

**Canon Notes**  
+this episode corresponds to  _manga volume 3 ch 11_  
+dangerous youkai can run around eating youkai and eating livestock   
+youkai are used as guides to lead people to exorcist-youkai gatherings  
+ideograms can be drawn on parts of human bodies for protection   
+srry hiiragi, that you got punched this one time when you were trying your best to help but the misunderstanding was  _hilarious_ (and you wonder if any exorcists ever get protective tattoos of certain ideograms? probably not, knowing the negative connotations on tattoos and yakuza in japan)  
+both youkai and people attend the meetings; not everyone at the meetings can see youkai, some can just sense them  
+natori suggests that natsume should wear a mask at the meeting; info-gathering is important,  _while also_ trying not to give away too much about your own identity  
+natori’s family, apparently, was famous once as powerful exorcists  
+the lizard youkai on natori never goes to his left leg.   
+nanase-san knows about the name Natsume Reiko (and presumably, so do some of the others at the meeting)  
+natori also asks  _“is matoba-san here too?”_  at the meeting. matoba does not appear at the meeting  
+exorcists hunt youkai and get bounties from posters on exorcist bulletin boards  
+natori can find other youkai with his paper dolls if he knows the youkai’s name and he draws a circle of water for the tracking spell.   
+sealing pots (or objects) can be enchanted to fly back to an owner’s hand

**Comments**  
For a natsume yuujinchou episode, this one starts out on a much darker and bloodier note with the death of a crow youkai that was eaten in front of natsume’s eyes by another youkai that looks like a giant head. we find out from natori’s first appearance that individual exorcists exist; with this episode, we get a glimpse at a larger world of an exorcist community beyond natsume’s usual peaceful town and forest adventures.  
  
like all communities, they have their own conflicts, intrigues, and secrets.   
  
things we learn about EXORCIST WORLDBUILDING:   
entire families can become famous for their exorcist powers, as the ability to see youkai (and the ability to fight them off) is something that can be passed down through blood relatives.   
  
masks and fake names are used and seen as a wise necessity when attending exorcist gatherings; people want to get information but find it dangerous to have their identities known. we can sort of understand why this would be the case for youkai, seeing as natsume’s book of friends is seen as a powerful object, when all it has are youkai’s names in it. but why do exorcists want to hide their names from other humans? perhaps some are part-time exorcists, like natori, and can’t have their faces intefere with their other real-world jobs? or perhaps some families are feuding with each other and find it easier to gain information and reduce conflict if other people’s identities are obscured?   
  
exorcists can also get assignments by finding bounties posted on an…exorcist community bulletin board or answering requests from other individuals.   
  
from natori’s first appearance, he was disarming and charming, and a little dangerous, but was also balanced out humorously with ridiculous background roses and sparkles. in this appearance, his exorcist side is present in full-force, and he’s more grim, more serious throughout. while he’s not at ease during this episode, he seems entirely nonchalant about the life-threatening danger he faces when tracking down the giant-headed youkai, which could end him in one bite. it’s just another day’s work to him.   
  
we also get more snapshots of his background story; natori is the son from a famous exorcist family (” _The Natori family have always been exorcists…I’m famous by birth, so there’s no point in hiding”_ ). the lizard youkai on his skin never goes to his left leg, which he finds unsettling. there’s also a teasing hint of an unspecified conflict between natori and another group of exorcists (” _The Matoba group and I don’t get along well”_ ).  
  
this is also the second or third time when natori asks natsume for help with exorcist matters, worded in a way which appeals to natsume’s compassion:   
 _“You have power. There are those who need it. Will you ignore them?”_  
  
power, the sight to see youkai, the ability to defeat them–these are the values of the exorcist community, and, at least in natori’s view, can be used to help others.   
  
we also meet another exorcist at the meeting–Nanase-san, who natori introduces to natsume as  _“something like a secretary to the Matoba group.”_  natori also takes the trouble to specifically introduce hiiragi, his new shiki, to nanase-san. i wondered for a moment why he would take the time to do so; but it makes sense. if shiki are introduced to other exorcist colleagues, the likelihood of someone accidentally banishing or sealing your shiki are reduced.   
  
nanase-san first appears to be a kindly character; when she is introduced to natsume, she tells him  _“But you need not fight alone anymore.”_ Were these the things natori was hoping natsume would hear, when following him to the meeting–connection, sympathy, community? (natori takes off his glasses during the brief scenes of introduction, which may not mean much of anything; but we do know that the glasses add a bit of security to natori’s mind, to help him see youkai better).  
  
as the episode proceeds, nanase-san, by her appearance a smiling respectable elderly exorcist, turns out to be absolutely ruthless in how she interacts with youkai, natori, and natsume. not purposefully cruel or rude; but ruthless. the sealing jar she at first gifted to natori turns out to be the means to help her gain a new shiki after natori had done the work of sealing the youkai and she had used the crow youkai as bait at the beginning of the episode.   
  
finally, when natsume is angry with her, on behalf of the crow youkai which had died, all she tells him is:  _“Oh dear. That tenderness will be the death of you.”_    
  
in the exorcist community, compassion, softness towards youkai (or towards other exorcists?) leads to a person’s ruin. if nanase-san and natori had been acquainted before, had this ever been something she had said to him?   
  
we find out more about the exorcist community, the darker, dangerous world that natori interacts with outside of his acting and his roses. as for what natori thought about other exorcists when he first met them when he must have been younger, all we have to infer from are natsume’s reactions, which run from excitement to mixed, uneasy emotions:  
  
 _If I go, will I find others like me? Will I find people here who know my pain?  
Can I honestly, truly believe in others?  
I have to protect…the people here who understand my pain. I have to be able to at least do that!…   
But it’s people like me who are the most dangerous.  
I thought what I wanted was to be strong, because I found those I want to protect… _  
  
natsume never completes his last thought on what else he wanted to be, other than someone who was strong. the parallels also diverge at the point about other people; we don’t know yet, if there’s anyone, or any people that natori wants to protect ( _personally_ ), if he can understand that impulse at all.


	5. S2E12 The Boy in the Empty House & S2E13 Humans and Youkai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natori, with minimum sparkle level.

**S2E12 The Boy in the Empty House & S2E13 Humans and Youkai**

**Summary**  
A young boy named Kai is found in an empty abandoned mansion. Natori tells Natsume that Kai is a youkai and he is on an assignment to get rid of Kai.  
  
 **Canon Notes**  
+this episode corresponds to  _manga volume 6 chapter 20_  
+the kid that natsume meets is named Ishio Kai   
+the scent of blood can attract youkai  
+when natsume says:  _“that youkai said he was going to eat a kid…”_  
nyanko replies that  _“lots of youkai eat kids”_ …nyanko-sensei that’s not…reassuring at all  
+some youkai are powerful enough to pretend to be human (and also hide their scent as a youkai)  
+as an actor, natori also stars in the occasional car commercial   
+ _“in a head to head fight [against kai], natori doesn’t stand a chance.”_  
+a paper doll burns up and signals to natori when his trap had been sprung and broken out of  
+hiiragi has a wonderful character moment in which she says  _“i have a duty to protect you”_  and tries to help natori outrun kai in the forest  
+exorcists can decide whether to continue a job assignment or to withdraw from it

**Comments**

as a two-parter that follows right on the heels of S2E11 Assembly of Conjurers, i love how the threads of choice are unwinding here, giving possible paths to natsume. he’s moved from a position of fear (alone, friendless, without family), to a position with more power (security, allies, friends, knowledge). so what will he do with it?

will he use it to protect humans? protect himself? protect youkai?

is there a right way? reiko didn’t seem to know and neither does natori.   
  
natsume himself is figuring this out as a continuation of his character development from the first season. there’s a moment when he says  _“i feel like im a magnet for trouble. i used to blame it on the youkai, but now…”_  and he doesn’t finish the sentence. while we’re not absolutely sure what he means to say in those empty spaces, just the very beginning of the sentence indicates how far natsume has come from the first season, when he was more willing to think that youkai were an annoyance or causing trouble for him. taki seems to fill in the rest of the sentence in the scene, by stating that _“natsume. you’re kind.”_ because of that kindness, even if natsume was trying to keep out of trouble, he can’t ignore trouble if someone–youkai or human–were in dire straits.

it’s also encouraging to see natsume interacting with so many other characters, and to see how much more willing he is to display emotions like irriation, laughter, and anger, compared to his previously withdrawn, subdued self. he actually shouts at one point when he finds out that kai has a sprained ankle and is denying that he feels any pain:  _“don’t be so damned stubborn! you’ll be in serious trouble if something bad happens!”_

(natsume might have been remembering times when he was younger, and hurt, and denying it to others; but now he’s at a stage where he understands, a little, how pretending that something doesn’t hurt doesn’t help assauge any worries from the people who care about you)

nyanko-sensei also has some wonderful, obvious scenes where he worries over natsume, and talks with natsume’s friends to tell them (subtly!) to watch out for natsume (ie a scene with tanuma ( _“he’s not a very good friend is he?…he thinks he’s doing everyone a favor by taking on everything himself.”_  , and a scene with natori).

lastly, about the episode itself, a dried flower in a book made me cry & _“when i woke up, Kai was gone.”_

as for natori, this two-parter has to be the most serious at which viewers have ever seen him. there is one lovely light-hearted moment with his appearance in a car commercial (the Yokota Vivace~!), but excepting for that, the background roses were minimal.   
  
he is very much an exorcist professional for most of the time; he explains to natsume his reasoning for needing to seal away Kai (or else risk the release of evil oni from a well). he acknowledges that natsume already has gotten involved in the situation but tells him:  _“I won’t ask you to help. Just try not to stop me.”_  natsume gets angry at natori, asks him  _“is it that Matoba group again?”_ and natori says _“I can’t tell you that. This is a job.”_

and finally, he asks natsume: “Natsume, don’t you think it’s time to decide? What’s more important to you, youkai or humans?”

natori, for all his exorcist skills, is never entirely unsympathetic to youkai; he helped hiiragi before, when he was younger, and understands that they also show emotions. but with the youkai-or-humans question he puts before natsume, it’s only an either-or choice. for natori, he already decided that humans would take priority for him, long ago, and chooses to be safe rather than sorry, when it comes to danger from youkai.

and though natori may be older than natsume, and better at acting, natori is also not as good at keeping his emotions out of the way as he claims. there is a scene when nyanko-sensei tosses at natori that  _“someone as thick-skinned as you can’t possibly understand how we feel.”_  natori doesn’t protest this, though hiiragi takes issue with it. and with the earlier parallels in the season between natori and natsume’s personalities (the kindness still there, to an extent), it’s difficult to take the thick-skinned accusation seriously.

natori also later makes the decision to not seal Kai, at the end ( _“Natsume, I’m withdrawing from this job. But I need to seal the well with the oni.”_ ). in his first appearance, natori would have likely ignored natsume’s protests about his exorcist methods, but here, he takes into account natsume’s opinion, and compromises on how to handle his exorcist assignment.

as to how natori handles human-youkai conflicts in the future? even with his usual pragmatism, he might, at the very least, think about alternate methods for a moment before taking action.


	6. S3E6 That Which Is Not Human

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which nothing exciting happens at all.

**S3E6 That Which Is Not Human**

**Summary**  
The mysterious head of the Matoba clan finally appears.

**Canon Notes**  
+this episode corresponds to _manga volume 7_  
+youkai blood can be used in spells  
+someone can make a youkai servant by drawing a paper mask and controlling a youkai body  
+if the whole youkai isn’t destroyed, parts of it can linger around  
+long hair from a human can be traded to youkai

**Comments**  
a high point of the episode: we get to see a Horrible Exorcist smugly wearing a Horrible Adidas Sweatshirt™

in the beginning, someone just smilingly walks away with blood on their robe. the horror elements start strong and speed to 100 real quick. matoba seiji as an antagonist is a terrifying one who will straight-up strangle you with his bare hands because he sees a threat. the matoba group was already teased at with subtle hints. however, matoba doesn’t get to speak a lot in this episode. most of what we do know is second-hand info.

for natsume and nyanko-sensei neither of them are inclined to stop and chit-chat with matoba. instant distrust, at first glance. natsume, being suspicious enough from previous experience with the exorcists’ meeting, isn’t at his friendliest during their second meeting. one of his other thoughts is that _“Matoba was very young.”_ Matoba Seiji is 22 years old, according to his character info. so, yes. pretty young.

we also get access to a lot more info on natori shuuichi and matoba seiji, from natori’s pov. a paper doll shows up when natsume and the other bird youkai are escaping from matoba seiji. natori is powerful enough to fight off the shadow shiki that matoba uses and tells them: _“Leave, servants of Matoba. He is a friend to Natori…Return and tell your master.”_

it wouldn’t be far-reaching to assume that natori has spoken with matoba before. but beyond a general “matoba is dangerous” type of warning, natori doesn’t seem inclined to share everything that he knows about matoba seiji.

**nyanko-sensei:**   _“He was young, but he had that ridiculous eyepatch, long hair, and parasol thing going on.”_  
 **natori *smiling ambiguously*** : _“i’m sure he has his reasons…as for the eyepatch, I’m sure there’s something.”_

natori makes a hard-to-interpret face when thinking about the conversation about matoba and a flashback begins about a chat with nanase-san.

**Nanase-san:**   _"It’s not often I see the young Natori sighing…You took a job from us. That was a mistake.”  
_ **Natori:** _“I just sealed an old well and chased away the rest.”_  
 **Nanase-san:** _“Chased away? You’ve gotten nicer…Even your sarcasm is half-hearted."  
_ **Natori:**   _"You’re the same as ever, Nanase-san.”_

besides the fallout from the kai assignment, there’s some concern over natsume as a potential person with power. nanase-san ends the conversation with a warning:

**Nanase-san:**   _“Natori. The head of the clan is investigating something in that town. Don’t interfere. Our boss is very short-tempered.”_

they have this convo under a giant billboard with natori’s face by the way

the whole conversation between natori and nanse-san is filled with polite verbal feints and biting undertones, and a sort of familiarity. is this how most of natori’s conversations with matoba seiji go, too?

eventually they all make their way to an inn where matoba is. the innkeeper acknowledges that strange-looking long-haired person is staying with them.

then there’s this incredible scene:   
 **the innkeeper:** _“But who are you?”_  
 **natori:**   _“We’re searching for my brother who ran away from home. So please don’t tell him about us.”_   (L OL NATORI pls)

the episode ends on a suspenseful note, with a lot of questions. what does matoba want with the youkai blood? how much does natori actually know about matoba? how scary is the matoba clan actually, compared to the youkai they exorcise? ( _draw a monster; why is it monster?_ )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> +question 1: what is the plot of _unloved_ about?  
>  +question 2: has matoba seiji ever seen this movie?


	7. S3E7 Exorcist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Do you have something you want to protect?

**S3E7 Exorcist**

**Summary**  
Revenge, tears, and Matoba being a jerk.

**Canon Notes**  
+this episode corresponds to all of  _manga volume 7_  
+paper with ink symbols can be used as binding charms  
+matoba needs a charm over his right eye, to protect it from being eaten  
+the matoba family curse is explained ( _long ago, an ancestor asked a youkai for help and promised away a right eye in return. he broke that promise, and now the youkai chases after every matoba head after, trying to claim that eye_ )  
+matoba already has an old wound over his eye  
+nyanko upgrades natori’s nickname from “that shady guy” to “the screw-up exorcist natori”  
+matoba fights using bow and arrows, and is also capable of using paper dolls as a tracker on people

**  
Comments**

originally, natori is said from his first appearance to hate youkai. but right away in this episode, we get an extremely cute scene of natori carrying nyanko-sensei around on his shoulders ( _because he’s a stuffed animal, see?_ )

i also have [ **a previous post that goes into more detail on the canon interactions between nyanko-sensei and natori.**](http://qserasera.tumblr.com/post/154886061839/necle-replied-to-your-post-i-guess-this-is-a) at the very least, from the amount of times they have encountered each other, nyanko-sensei is willing enough to hang around natori and also bicker with him, the way he might with natsume ( _“look everyone! it’s the screw-up exorcist natori! rahhh!”_ )

nyanko-sensei also asks about more info on matoba from natori, to which natori replies:  _“He’s the type who’s not afraid to use dangerous youkai for his own ends.”_

nyanko-sensei asks if that was why natori had left behind his own shiki. natori denies that he was trying to protect his own shiki from matoba. with his own shiki, hiiragi clearly worries about natori, even if she claims she was not mad that natori didn’t take her with them so she could protect him.

and in an interesting twist, while the current natori is not entirely a jerk to youkai, he does understand the expectations that the exorcist community has. youkai are either servants or not, are either useful or to be banished.

while sympathetic to the woman who had lost her crow shiki, he says  _“In this line of work, the youkai we use are…[nothing but tools].”_

matoba’s own view on youkai lines up with this sentiment that natori expresses.

_“I just want to have strong youkai to protect people. If that means people hate me, or that I pay a price, that’s fine.”_  
“[Natsume, thinking] He’s an exorcist, but he’s very different from Natori-san.”  
“I can’t use that youkai. I’m leaving.”  
“If you don’t need a youkai, then don’t spend time on it. Blast it to nothingness.”

matoba is all ruthless efficiency, expediency. if a youkai or a person is not interesting to him, he abandons it immediately.

we don’t really get a full picture of what it means to matoba to protect people, but from his family’s curse, we get an inkling; for matoba, any interaction with youkai is a life-death situation, and each time, matoba will choose to protect himself (to protect the clan).

matoba seiji and his clan is powerful, yes, but it rests on a precipice, drawing entirely from a bargain based on fear, on bloodline, and half of his sight (which allows him to watch out for enemies, both youkai and human).

both matoba and natori are exorcists, and both of them are acquainted, at least. in issues of sight, both of them seem to struggle with skewed perceptions; natori and his fake glasses, which he thinks would help him see youkai better. matoba and the paper charm on his right eye, which protects him and blocks half his sight.

as for any relations between natori and the matoba clan, we are reminded again how nanase-san is familiar with natori’s personality, when he is hiding something, and how he would react in certain situations ( _“Natori? I only teased him a little and he came running. What a child.”_ )

matoba seiji also seems to know natori, at least is aware of natori’s abilities and personality as well.

one of matoba’s earliest comments to natsume, after natsume is trying to break a paper binding charm, is to mention natori’s name:  
 _“Interesting isn’t it? Normal people can’t see that paper. Ah, the Natori family knows more about that paper than I do. Ask them.”_

when in the end, natori goes back into the cave to seal the youkai, matoba does not seem surprised ( _“Since I don’t see him, Natori probably went to seal it away.”_ ) both are exorcists, yet both choose different paths of action in this episode.

and in the last scene, as natsume is wrestling with his understanding of the casual cruelty of the Matoba exorcists, natori sounds more resigned when he just tells natsume not to worry about it, that:  _“Some people are like that. That’s all it is.”_  

was matoba always like that? is that all it is? natsume wants to protect friends both youkai and human; so what is it that matoba or natori hopes to protect? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> +me: *cracks joke about matoba being a CLAMP character who wandered into the wrong manga*


	8. S4E1 Natsume Captured & S4E2 The Eastern Forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nanase-san has a nice day doing flower arrangements.

**S4E1 Natsume Captured & S4E2 The Eastern Forest**

**Summary**  
A mysterious group of youkai is after the Book of Friends. Natsume temporarily ends up trapped in a Matoba clan mansion.  
  
 **Canon Notes**  
+this episode corresponds to _manga volume 9_  
+the youkai with monkey masks can enter a school but are there restrictions on what kind of dwellings they can enter into? (usually youkai cannot enter homes without express invitation or without someone else opening a door/window)  
+a matoba clan house in the eastern forest apparently has a prison  
+one of nanase-san’s hobbies is flower-arranging  
+the first time matoba makes an offer of joining the matoba clan:  _“would you like to join the matoba clan, natsume takashi?”_  
+the presence of a powerful person or youkai is enough to break seals set by an exorcist (without having to actively do any kinds of chants or spells)

**Comments**    
before we get started, i would like everyone to direct their attention to this  **[super-informative post by epiphenomenal about the differences between matoba in anime-canon and manga-canon](http://epiphenomenal.tumblr.com/post/105072798592)** and why those differences would matter in his characterization

to sum up, in the manga, matoba comes off as more…restrained, watchful, analytical, whereas the anime one is…less so. (also fyi anime matoba, kidnapping is not a good idea. and illegal. did…you even think this through???) 

for this 2-episode arc, i don’t think we learn much more about matoba than what we already know; however, the contrasts with natsume’s approach to people & youkai are thrown in much sharper relief.

power-loyalty-protection would come up again and again thematically in the later natsume seasons. since natsume now has friends and family who want to protect him, what will he do to protect these bonds he has?

matoba has a response to that very question. he makes an offer to natsume to join the matoba clan, after bringing up natsume’s previously lonely family background: ( _”join me and you will never worry about that again. everybody understands here–“_ )  
  
as a head of the clan, matoba thinks, or at least claims that numbers do provide some kind of strength. however, there’s a significant hierachy-difference dynamic in the types of bonds natsume and matoba has; natsume has youkai and human friends who will help him without having to be ordered to do so, whereas matoba has nanase-san, shiki servants, and matoba clan servants, all of whom are obligated to follow his orders.

viewers also get an additional inkling that matoba doesn’t exactly trust others easily, _even_ if they are human, with a throwaway line about tea ( _"don’t worry about the tea. it’s not poisoned.”_ ). if it was his idea of a joke, it’s not extremely funny. and if it was his idea of being reassuring, you have to wonder exactly what kind of things go on at exorcist tea parties. 

we get additional emphasis on matoba’s negative views towards youkai:  
 _“They deceive humans and betray them.”_  
“Do you perhaps believe that youkai and humans are the same?”  
“The youkai is only with you because he can gain from doing so. He does not like you nor does he feel any affection for you.”

if natsume values both youkai and humans equally, by matoba’s statements, we could infer that he could equally apply his statements on youkai to the humans around him, that even with human relationships they are all predicated on gain/loss, and things like liking and affection are not important variables..

natsume’s youkai friends showing up to jump to natsume’s defence directly contradict all of this

even for the fairly powerful head of the matoba clan, there are things that are also beyond his control. the decline of the exorcism business ( _”the exorcism business hasn’t been booming lately”_ & the matoba mansion in the mountains is covered with moss and looks pretty run-down on the outside), the presence of other youkai more powerful than his own shiki (see nanase’s comment on natsume’s youkai friends: _“He’s too powerful. Even all our shiki servants together might not be able to hurt him”_ ). 


	9. S4E8 When I Was Deceived

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _I can't show friendship to a youkai. Not ever._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> +1 minor manga spoiler mentioned from special chapter 17 "An Outstretched Hand"

**S4E8 When I Was Deceived**

**Summary**  
Nanase is trapped in a well and tells a story to Nyanko-sensei.   
 **  
Canon Notes**  
+this episode is an anime-only special and does not have a corresponding manga chapter  
+nanase-san first hears of natsume reiko’s name when she is small–at a guess I would say maybe about 10 years old or so  
+other than pots, youkai can also get sealed away in objects like stones  
+some powerful youkai can tell which exorcist used their power to seal away something  
+nanase was born in a family of exorcists  
+ _extra canon detail_ : in special chapter 17 (the second chapter with bby exorcists!), shiki who are vying for a spot as nanase’s shiki servant take the form of women because they know that “she hates men." 

**Comments**    
previously, we never really had much info on nanase-san, other than as someone who was like a secretary/important official person for the matoba clan. so this episode is a gift!!

we first learn that having an exorcist family background can really mess with your head (as nanase’s father coldly informs her about youkai: ” _we seal away those we don’t use, take the powerful as servants, and ignore the rest. that is the way of exorcists_.“). not just with youkai; from earlier episodes with natori and matoba and the way everyone acts during exorcist gatherings, you can also infer that is the way they are encouraged to treat people around them as tools as well.

nanase’s personality from a younger age is fascinating. she can be impulsive, and willing to throw herself into danger to seal a youkai that is at least five times her height. yet her family scolds her  _not for getting into danger_ , but for letting her target get away.

this episode shows the first time when nanase-san hears about natsume reiko. and her first reaction is to head off into the woods without any plan, just so she could meet reiko, and maybe, more optimistically, so she could make a friend. not that she ever says it directly.

there are more than a few adorable moments when nanase does act her age as a younger child; she is majorly excited to talk to mikage, as a possible exorcist she can respect, and the image of her dragging around the one smaller youkai like a balloon on a string.

just from how excited she is to talk to near-strangers that she meets in a forest, she’s a lonely character as well. in one scene, 2 young classmates that she passes by on a walk whisper behind her back, calling her "that weird girl.” and other than humans, she can’t make friends with any youkai as well:  _“I think we should exorcise all the youkai! If you can see them you want to talk to them. If you talk them, you want to show pity to them. And I can’t show pity or friendship to a youkai, ever.”_

the idea of strength, tied to a lack of pity or friendship, shows up again in this episode as a re-occurring theme for exorcists. and from what mikage says (“ _No, you are strong. Because you know the anger and sadness of being an exorcist._ ”). anger and sadness and loneliness; all things which seem fated to be an exorcist’s lot.

then again, in the end, nanase-san and nyanko-sensei do manage to work together to help each other out of the well, however grudgingly. if they can do that, maybe someday the exorcist community doesn’t need to be so cutthroat, or merciless; maybe somehow, it could be just a little kinder, more even-handed in its dealings with youkai and people alike.  


	10. S4E9 The Moon-Splitting Festival & S4E10 The God, Enshrined

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone worries about Natsume.

**S4E9 The Moon-Splitting Festival & S4E10 The God, Enshrined**

**Summary**  
Natsume helps out a bunch of mushroom-looking youkai and gets into a dangerous competition. Natori runs into him while on another exorcist assignment.  
  
 **Canon Notes**  
+this episode corresponds to  _manga volume 10 chapter 39-41_  
+apparently, most exorcists also communicate with paper charms showing a location and a time to discuss job requests  
+a festival for good harvests is a common thing in a lot of areas in japan  
+some people like natsume are powerful enough to break certain seals just by touching them and thinking about it

**Comments**  

surprisingly don’t feel like there is a lot of material to talk about; as a fourth season, natsume has been pretty well-adjusted, trusting more in his friends and allies. and as natori has shown up more than once in the past seasons, he’s more of a known quantity. but!! there are still some other aspects i wanted to discuss about this two-parter.

exorcists politics makes an appearance!  
i love that hiiragi gets more lines in these episodes; there are some parts of the exorcist world that natori naturally wouldn’t tell natsume about, but as hiiragi is someone who also cares about natsume and has access to the exorcists community as a shiki; she can tell natsume things in a more straightforward way, instead of the roundabout way that natori would.

the contrast between natori’s daytime actor self and serious exorcist self is also brought out sharply; first all the dialogue between the girls about his 100% Sparkle Mode was, just  _unbelievable_ :

_“Did you see that? That mysterious smile! I can’t tell if he’s a playboy or pure of heart!”  
“That slightly shady aura of his is just too much!"❤️❤️❤️_

the girls swooning about natori’s fake line about ‘a flower petal in your hair’ is a nice bit of levity, before the serious meeting scene between natori and the unnamed exorcist. from the use of the paper charm, we wonder if it’s expected that all exorcists have a basic grasp on using paper charms to send messages; why don’t they just use phones? or letters instead? (security reasons, maybe. you don’t want other exorcist rivals necessarily knowing where you live after all). the request from the other exorcist has a very very close deadline, to natori’s obvious surprise.   
  
 **The other exorcist:** _I want you to find Houzuki before the festival ends._  
 **Natori:** _When is the festival?_  
 **The other exorcist:** _Tomorrow._  
  
Hiiragi herself notes the uneasiness she feels about the request, and drops obvious hints about possible exorcist intrigue & plotting to natsume: 

_“The request…the request was impossible to complete on time…I believe that the search for Houzuki was a pretense, and the real request was to seal away Fudzuki. I believe that Natori was assigned the terrifying task of sealing away a god in order to remove a threat that returns every ten years._ ”

Why would another exorcist lie about an assignment? And even if surprised by the time limit, was there any reason natori had to accept the assignment? Loss in reputation, perhaps?

the ending does turn out to natori’s benefit; as a shiki, hiiragi and the others do have chances to listen to exorcist gossip, after all (what are the odds that the exorcist community has a burn book, raise your hands):  
“ _By settling the matter without banishing the god, Natori’s reputation among the other exorcists has risen yet again._ ”

natori’s reputation aside, the more caring side of his character makes a strong showing in this particular story. natsume yuujinchou generally is not a plot-heavy show; but all the fun is watching the incremental character changes. 

we get more of natori’s worry about his own shiki, and not enough worrying about himself:   
 **Sasago** :  _We cannot leave the master alone. Hiiragi, you protect him._  
 **Natori:** _I’ll be fine, you all go._  
  
we get natori worrying that youkai were taking advantage of natsume’s kindness:  
 _“Was Houzuki truly sealed? When was he sealed? No, you were in quite the hurry when you asked. Natsume…He’s a nice kid with strong spiritual energy, so maybe you’re planning to take advantage of him for something…Perhaps your plan is to turn Natsume into the new Houzuki?”_

[just dropping a  **quick fic rec** here about something exactly like this: [ **Worthy of a Name**](http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fanfiction.net%2Fs%2F6750992%2F1%2FWorthy-of-a-Name&t=ZDFiOTgyMTM4NWE5NTNlMGM5MDc5ZmNmNGY0MzRhMGU3MzY3Nzg4Yyx2bzFNQ1BUdQ%3D%3D&b=t%3AthZ9TRVEhduj4uksguO81Q&p=http%3A%2F%2Fqserasera.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F163564794867%2Frewatch-s4e9-the-moon-splitting-festival-s4e10&m=1) and the lengthy sequel, **[The Human Mask](http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fanfiction.net%2Fs%2F7731108%2F1%2FThe-Human-Mask&t=NmUwOWNhYTZmMGZjZDVlMDY0ZWQzMTExNzdhYWVjMjA4MGQ0ZmRmNSx2bzFNQ1BUdQ%3D%3D&b=t%3AthZ9TRVEhduj4uksguO81Q&p=http%3A%2F%2Fqserasera.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F163564794867%2Frewatch-s4e9-the-moon-splitting-festival-s4e10&m=1)**. 100+ incredible chapters!!)   
  
for all of natori’s worry and his constant suspicions, this two-parter is a big step from the previous two-parter with Kai (see: The Boy in the Empty House). he is willing to listen to what natsume is trying to do to help the youkai, works with natsume, and is willing to listen also to the youkai’s story. the fact that natori hesitated about going on with the exorcist assignment as originally planned, and deciding to talk over his options on it is a nicer change.   
  
there’s also an surprising simple, subtly emotional line from hiiragi that underlines previous natsume and natori parallels:   
 **Hiiragi, to Natsume:** _I feel like you’ve gotten softer somehow. Will Natori ever become like that?_

maybe he’s not as kind as natsume is now, but he  ~~was like that~~  still has more chances to be like that in future story arcs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> +still planning to add another essay in about the "Undistorted World" episodes  
> +season 5 & 6 episode rewatches are undecided as of now, but well, who knows ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	11. S5E8 Undistorted World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Call me Seiji, Shuuichi-san."

**Summary**    
Natori Shuuichi: _stale cinnamonroll, been in this world too long, too cynical_.

**Canon Notes**  
+this episode correspond to the _special manga chapter 15_  
+natori's mother died at a young age; he apparently lives with his father, his grandfather, and a housekeeper named Sumi  
+there is no one else in the natori clan who can see youkai anymore except for natori shuuichi  
\+ a special kimono on a tree in Ishizuki Valley can test exorcists's strength; powerful ones can see it as red, especially strong exorcists can see gold patterns of chrysanthemums and peonies on the red kimono  
+natori meets matoba seiji when natori is 16 and matoba is 15  
+the matoba clan is famous for their powerful exorcists and for bringing together 11 exorcist families  
+for the first youkai that natori ever tried to trap, matoba seiji helped him  


**Comments**  
we learn 3 important circles of information about natori from this episode; we learn more about natori's backstory; we learn more about his motivation to be an exorcists; we learn more about natori shuuichi and matoba seiji when they first met each other.  
  
Natori's backstory: his mother died when he was young. Left to grow up with a father, an angry grandfather, and a housekeeper named Sumi. There may be other Natori relatives as well. But none of them, except for Shuuichi, can see youkai.   
  
_"The Natori clan used to be exorcists, but they quit after there was none who could see them. Since then, they lived in fear of the youkai's revenge."_

Natori's family...definitely hates him. I was going to use a different word, like "dislike" but:  
  
i. his family has blamed a bunch of bad events on Natori's sight, like his mother's death (when he was a young child) and his grandfather's bad leg.    
ii. Direct quote from Natori's father: _"All he can do is say weird things to scare the rest of the family and get attention."_  

the likely effect of this on natori's personality? self-loathing issues, perhaps. an overdeveloped sense of responsibility for other's well-being, perhaps.   
  
natori first starts digging into exorcist lore in the natori storehouses to find out how _"he could destroy this lizard youkai on my body."_ his earliest motivation for wanting to learn about youkai---because he hated his own abilities, hated the youkai that lived on his body. 

this motivation shifts slightly, once natori attends his first gathering of other exorcists at Ishizuki Valley. The first exorcist he meets face-to-face: a young matoba seiji. the second: takuma-san. the third: amasaki-san, who finally introduced himself after natori had seen him hanging around the natori family home.  
  
amasaki-san brings up to natori the ideas of family debts (that some people still remember the natori clan fondly), the possible decline of exorcist powers, and wanting to repay kindness for kindness.   
  
takuma-san serves more as a mentor to natori; he gives natori a different motivation for being an exorcist ( _"I want to exorcise from them the fear they feel of the youkai"_ ), and inspires the use of the fake glasses.  
  
so natori then has dual motives for wanting to be an exorcist; he wants to get rid of the lizard on his body; and he wants to be kind, to protect people (and third, more implied than stated: to have somewhere to belong, whether with his family or with the exorcist community).  
  
**Natori:** _At least when I was around others who could see the youkai, I didn't have to lie. Maybe I could find a way to get rid of this lizard on my body..and maybe I could be nicer to the people around me, Someday I could be kind...even to my family._  
  
and  
  
_"I just want to become a strong and righteous exorcist, whose heart doesn't waver."_  
  
kindness, strength, what an exorcist should be like: which brings us to matoba seiji.  
  
natori shuuichi's start as a teenage exorcist is a story that is also threaded together with matoba seiji's own story. they're not friends when they first meet. they're not enemies either. their stories are obvious parallels. matoba, valued as the heir of one of the strongest exorcist clans around. natori, the head of a clan that has declined in power, a clan that hates him for his ability. 

matoba seiji is not...the nicest character, necessarily. he pokes fun at natori's lack of exorcist knowledge and natori gets irritated in turn by matoba's arrogance, argues with him about the kind of exorcist he wants to become. 

but for reasons unknown, matoba seiji seems to still enjoy hanging around natori, even after teasing natori that "his ability is just so-so." He insists that Natori can call him by his first name ( _"Call me Seiji, Shuuichi-san. I'm here because I'm looking for someone I can use."_ ) and also asks Natori, more than once, to team up with him. Seiji, to Shuuichi, is someone who is close to a peer, and also someone he does manage to successfully team up with.

Seiji, to Shuuichi, is not someone he thinks he can become friends with. **But the potential is there.**

any other thoughts he expresses about seiji? well, it's Complicated: 

**Shuuichi:** _Seiji...I'm glad I'm far apart from him. I don't want to see him...I can't see what he sees. Our paths are different._

and seiji's thoughts on shuuichi?

**Seiji:** _Shuuichi-san, it's been a long time...Wait, are you sleeping?_ [picks up Natori's glasses] _The world probably seems distorted because you try to look at it through these, right?_

## further readings

+[another scene that distressed me](http://qserasera.tumblr.com/post/153937190529/sepiaglass-defeateddetectives-do-you-ever-just)

+[another natori character analysis by sarukui](https://sarukui.tumblr.com/post/162412871074/natori-appreciation-post)

+[more analysis on natori & matoba views on power](http://qserasera.tumblr.com/post/150667243694/ncfan-1-cyanmnemosyne-qserasera-i-cry)

+[akitania's take on horrible exorcists](http://akitania.tumblr.com/post/152008148751/ryukoishida-said-tell-me-more-about)

+[a horrible exorcists fic rec list](http://qserasera.tumblr.com/post/103741880044/unwritten-letters-a-matoba-seijinatori-shuuichi)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dietmountaindew.mp3 ; A ;  
>  ~~can you BELIEVE that seiji has watched shuuichi's sleeping face like TWICE in canon and has never said anything???~~


End file.
